About
J & M Farm Studio is a multi-faceted design studio founded by Julian Stewart and Melissa Stickl. Partners in both life and work, Julian and Melissa value the land and its heritage, see possibility in the underused and discarded, and seek joy in the simple things.
Their farm studio reflects their shared passion for design, art, flowers, and antiques, and their trust in each other. Their Norfolk County property is their backdrop, canvas, and main source of inspiration for all things creative.
They love heritage buildings, thrift and antique stores, fishing on Lake Erie, spending time with friends and family, and their two cats Suss and Tigger … and the joy of creating together. That’s their JAM!
More about J
Julian Stewart is your modern-day jack-of-all trades. Keen to learn and ready for hard-work, he doesn’t shy away from much. Both at home and work, Julian brings design ideas to life. He has a practical yet artistic eye that is both rare and valuable.
Julian has ambitions of self-sufficiency and in mastering off-grid skills such as gardening, foraging, rainwater harvesting, solar power generation, and food preservation to establish true independence.
Julian worked for a local home builder after university before joining +VG Architects as an architectural technologist, where he met Melissa, and then G. Douglas Vallee Ltd. (Vallee) in Simcoe, ON. He is also an avid fisherman, an aspiring farmer, and a beer connoisseur.
& About M
Melissa Stickl is a mixed media and collage artist in Simcoe, Ontario. Her art focuses on the repurposing, adaptive reuse and juxtaposition of materials. In her mixed media and collage work, Melissa repurposes pages from books, newspapers, magazines, songbooks, postcards, stamps, letters, receipts, cards, maps, ticket stubs collected from childhood. In some cases, this ephemera becomes part of the background for a piece while in others it is placed with purpose to add meaning and depth through layering.
Melissa is inspired by her immediate surroundings, family, friends, pets, memories and other artists. Creating each piece is a real joy and journey as the work evolves into something that was perhaps not originally planned.
As well as being an artist and aspiring flower farmer, Melissa is an Architect, Shareholder and the Director of Architecture at G. Douglas Vallee (Vallee), and a Director for the Lynnwood Arts Centre Board of Management.
